Airplane mooring device



p 7, 1949. o. E. WILLIAMS AIRPLANE MOORING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov, 26, 1946 Inventor Oliver E. Williams Sept. 2'7, 1949 o. E. WILLIAMS AIRPLANE MOORING DEVICE 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 26, 1946 I I I I I Inventor liver 5. Williams 7 Patented Sept. 27, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF l-CE AIRPLANE 'MOORING DEVICE Oliver Williams, Pocatello, Idaho Application November 26, 1946, Serial No. 712,296

(Cl. 24 l115) 7 Claims.

This .invention relates -to .-new and useful improvements and structural refinements in airplane mooring devices, and the principal object 'of 'the invention is to provide a device of the character herein described, such as may be con-' .veniently and effectively employed for the securing of airplanes to the ground, in order to prevent the same from becoming upset or :otherwise damaged by wind.

A further object of the invention is to provide an airplane mooring device which will permit the airplane to be secured in such manner that the wings thereof will be disposed in plane parallel to the direction of the Wind. It will be apparent that the wings will thus be prevented from offering resistance to the wind stream.

Another object of the zinvention'is to provide a mooring device which will permit the airplane to swing with the wind, that is, which will Jenable the airplane toautomaticallyadjust its .po-

.sition, so that its longitudinal :center line is substantially parallel to the direction-of the wind.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an airplane mooring device which, as a whole, may be readily raised or lowered withrespect to the ground.

A still further object "of :the invention is to provide an airplane mooring device which istsimple in construction and operation, whichwill not easily become damaged and which is otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which-it ;is intended.

With the above more importantobjects .in view, and such other objects as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention, showing the same in use.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional detail taken substantially in the plane of the line'22 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top ,plan view of the subject shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line '4-4 in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, :elevational detail taken in the direction of thearrow-5in F-igure 3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, elevational detail of the right-hand portion of the subject'shown in Figure -1, and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary-top plan View, taken in the direction of thearrow l :in.Figure:6.

Like characters :of reference are -used to dos- 'ignate'likeparts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings :in detail, the invention consists of an airplane mooring device designated generally by the reference character 10, the same embodying .inits construction an upright, cylindrical casing ll, closed at the lower end'thereof as at [2 and'pro- 'vided at its upper end with an externally threadstitutes what maybe referred to as a base.

The threaded portion I3 of the casing carries an internally threaded cap 18, this forming what may be referred to, as a bearing fora sleeve I9 whichis slidably and rotatably positioned in the casing.

The sleeve l9 projects upwardly from the casing H and the inner portion of the sleeve'is provided with a plurality of rings -20 which serve to :guide .the movement of the sleeve in thecasing.

The lower end of the sleeve is closed and is'formed with a screw threaded-aperture 2| which operatively engages a screw shaft 22 hereinafter to be more fullydescribed.

The upper end of the sleeve is screw threaded to receive a cap 23, this in turn, being rigidlyse- =cured to .a, carrier designated generally by the reference character 24.

:Atubular shaft 26 is rotatably journaled in the eap 23, the upper end portion ofthe shaftipro- ,jecting above the cap in order to carry a, worm "wheel =21 and'terminating in a square shankifi.

The lower end portion of the shaft 26 extends into :thez-sleeve l9 and-forms a square socket 29 which slidablyreceives a'complernentary shank 3%! provided at the upper end of the aforementioned screw shaft 22. It will be noted that the lower 'end 3| of the latter is of a substantially semispherical configuration and bear against the closed end I2 of the-casing I. A bath of oil indicated at '32 may be provided in the lower end of the casing, to minimize the friction 0f the shaft portion 3| upon thecasingtportion l-2.

The aforementioned carrier 24 consistsgener- .allyof a platform 33 and an extension 34, the platform comprising .a substantially U-shaped '55 plate .35 to which :the aforementioned cap 12.3 is

secured. The plate 35, in turn, carries a pair of spaced parallel tubes 36, these also being secured together by a plurality of cross tubes 31 and the entire assembly being reinforced by a series of struts 38.

The outer of the cross tubes 31 are equipped with a pair of eyes or loops 39, these being hereinafter more fully described.

An L-shaped bracket 40 is pivotally secured to the plate by means of a suitable pin 4|, the upstanding portion of the bracket providing a bearing for a shaft 42 which carries a worm 43. The shaft 30 is retained in position by a suitable collar 34 and it will be noted that the worm 43 is normally urged into engagement with the aforementioned worm wheel 27 by a compression spring 55 which is interposed between the upstanding portion of the bracket 40 and a lug 46 provided on one of the tubes 36.

The free end portion of the shaft All is squared as at 41, and the plate 35 is formed with an aperture 58 disposed adjacent the portion 41 as will be clearly understood.

A tubular guide 49 is secured to the platform 33, this guide being in longitudinal alignment with the axis of the shaft 4!] when the latter is in such position that the worm 43 engages the wheel 27. The guide 49 is adapted to rotatably receive a hand crank 58, the latter being provided with a square socket 5i adapted to receive the squared shank 4! as well as the shank 28.

The structure of the aforementioned extension 34 will be clearly apparent from the accompanying drawings, one end of the extension being hinged by means of a pin 52 to a pair of brackets 53 provided on the plate 35. The pin 52 is removable and is loosely attached to the plate 35 by a length of chain 56.

The free end of the extension 34 is formed to provide what may be referred to as a cradle 51, the general structure of which will be clearly understood. It will be observed that a length of chain 58 is attached to the cradle, the function thereof being hereinafter more fully explained.

The extension 3 is also provided adjacent the hinged end thereof with a pin 59, this engaging a yoke fill associated with a shaft 6|, which in turn, carries a screw threaded extension 62. The latter operatively engages a threaded bore formed in the boss 63 of a hand crank 64, the boss 63 being rotatable in and bearing against a block 55 secured between a pair of spaced side plates 66.

The latter are pivotally connected by means of a pin 61 to a pair of brackets '68 provided on the plate 35 and the pin 6'! is loosely attached to the plate 35 by a length of chain 59. It will be noted that this arrangement is similar to the aforementioned pin 52, bracket 53 and the length of chain 56.

Having thus described the construction of the invention, its method of operation will now be presented.

When it is desired to moor the airplane Ill, the spaced parallel tubes 35 of the platform 33 will effectively receive the landing wheels 'H as is best shown in Figures 1 and 2. Similarly, the auxiilary wheel, that is, the tail wheel 72 will be effectively received in the cradle 51.

The aft portion of the airplane may be firmly secured to the carrier 24 by means of the chain 58, which may be conveniently passed around the fork 13 which carries the tail Wheel. Suitable lengths of chain 14 may also be employed for securing the wing strut 15 to the aforementioned eyes 39.

By rotating the hand crank 64, the extension 34 may be raised or lowered with respect to the 5 ground level ll through the medium of the shaft 6|. The raising or lowering movement of the extension takes place, of course, about the hinge pin 52, and it will be noted that in this manner, the airplane ID, as a whole, may be adjusted to such position that the wings 16 thereof are disposed substantially in a plane parallel to the ground ll. By this token, the wings will be effectively prevented from offering resistance to a stream of air, such as wind of high velocity which would otherwise tend to upset the airplane.

It will be also noted that by virtue of the sleeve [9 which is rotatable with respect to the casing II, the carrier 25, as a whole, together with the airplane, Will be permitted to swing with the direction of the wind, and will thereby automatically adjust itself so that the longitudinal axis of the airplane will remain substantially parallel to the wind stream at all times.

To facilitate the positioning of the airplane upon the carrier 24 and the subsequent removal of the airplane therefrom, the carrier, as a whole, may be raised or lowered with respect to the ground IT. This is accomplished by simply inserting the crank handle in the guide 49 and engaging the socket 5! with the shank 47, whereupon the crank handle may be rotated, which in turn, will result in a corresponding rotation of the shaft 22 and the sliding of the sleeve 19 in the casing ii. It should be understood that suitable approach blocks (not shown) may be employed for enabling the wheels H and 12 to surmount the platform 33 and the cradle 5? respectively. In relatively small airports, the invention may be installed so that the entire carrier 24 is normally disposed :below the ground level H. The excavation required for such installation may, of course, be suitably covered when the anchoring device is not in use and the space saving factor of such arrangement can be readily appreciated.

In such instances, the invention is manipulated in the manner already described, with exception that the crank handle 50 will not be accessible when the carrier is disposed below ground level. To overcome this condition, the handle may be readily removed from the shank M and the socket 29, and the handle may then be readily manipulated in a substantially upright position, by being applied directly to the shank 28. To avoid interference of the wheel 21 with 55 the worm :3, the latter may be swung in the direction of the arrow ii and may be temporarily retained in such position by means of a suitable pin inserted in the aforementioned aperture Finally, it should be explained that the invention will also accommodate aircraft equipped with so-called tricycle landing gear, this being accomplished by removing the cradle 57 from the extension 34. As is best shown in Figures 6 and B5 '7, the cradle 5'! is equipped with a pair of supporting rods 18 which are removably receivable in the free ends of tubular outer members 19 of the extension. The rods l8- are retained in position by suitable bolts 35), these being selectively receivable in a series of apertures 81 provided in the members 19. This arrangement not only facilitates the adjustment of the cradle 51 with respect to the extension 34 to compensate for varying distance of the tail wheel 12 from the landing wheels H on dliferent aircraft, but will also facilitate the separation of the cradle from the eX- tension, as aforesaid.

The extension 34, in addition to the members 79, also includes inner members 52, the forward ends of the members I!) being provided with suitable supporting rods (not shown) similar to the aforementioned rods '18, whereby the members 79 may be separably connected to the members 82 by means of further bolts or screws 83.

To accommodate the tricycle landing gear, the members l9 are separated from the members 32 and the cradle 5? after being separated from the members 39, is connected directly to the members 82, as will be clearly understood. It will be found that the cradle 5'? will then suitably accommodate the nose wheel of the aircraft and the position of the latter will be reversed with respect to that shown in Figure 1.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further de- H scription at this point is considered unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A mooring device for an airplane having landing wheels and an auxiliary wheel, comprising in combination, an upright casing partially embedded in the ground and forming a base, a sleeve slidably and rotatably positioned in said casing, means for sliding said sleeve, a carrier comprising a platform secured to the upper end of said sleeve and adapted to receive said landing wheels, and an extension hinged to said platform and forming a cradle for said auxiliary wheel, means for securing said airplane to said carrier, and further means for raising and lowering said extension with respect to said platform.

2. A mooring device for an airplane having landing wheels and an auxiliary wheel, comprising in combination, an upright casin partially embedded in the ground and forming a base, a sleeve slidably and rotatably positioned in said casing and projecting at the upper end therefrom, said sleeve being formed with an internally threaded portion, a screw-shaft rotatably positioned in said sleeve and operatively engaging said portion, means for rotating said shaft, a carrier comprising a platform secured to the upper end of said sleeve and adapted to receive said landing wheels, and an extension hinged at one end thereof to said platform, the remaining end portion of said extension forming a cradle for said auxiliary wheel, a plurality of flexible elements for securing said airplane to said carrier, and screw actuated means for raising and lowering said extension with respect to said platform.

3. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein said first mentioned means includes a worm wheel secured to the upper end of said screw shaft and a worm rotatably mounted on said platform, said worm engaging said wheel.

4. A mooring device for an airplane having landing wheels and an auxiliary wheel, comprising in combination, an upright casing closed at the lower end thereof, said casing being partially embedded in the ground and forming a base, a sleeve slidably and rotatably positioned in said casing and protruding at the upper end therefrom, said sleeve being for-med with an internally threaded portion, a screw shaft rotatably positioned in said sleeve and operatively engaging said portion, the lower end of said shaft bearing against the closed end of said casing, a worm wheel secured to the upper end portion of said shaft, a carrier comprising a platform secured to the upper end of said sleeve and adapted to receive said landing wheels, and an extension hingedly and detachably connected at one end thereof to said platform, the remaining end portion of said extension forming a cradle for said auxiliary wheel, a worm rotatably mounted on said platform and operatively engaging said worm wheel, a plurality of flexible elements for securing said airplane to said carrier, and screw actuated means for raising and lowering said extension with respect to said platform.

5. The device as defined in claim 4 wherein said worm is swingable in and out of engagement with said worm wheel, together with an actuating crank, said crank being operatively engageable selectively with said worm and with the upper end of said shaft.

6. The device as defined in claim 4 together with means for Varying the distance of said cradle from said carrier.

7. The device as defined in claim 4 wherein said extension includes inner and outer sections separably connected together, said cradle being attachable selectively to said inner and outer sections.

OLIVER E. WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,796,876 Ritter Mar. 17, 1931 2,415,071 Brie Feb. 4, 1947 

